French & Indian War rages at Cold Wars <--AAR and photos, great turnout!

[mikedemana]

Hi everyone,

If you have been curious to try out our Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules, we will be hosting six events at Cold Wars next month. The convention is at the Lancaster Host Resort hotel, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, March 5-8. Here are the games we'll be running:

F-335 - Treachery at Fort Michilimackinac
Fri. 10:00 AM, 4 hrs, 4 players
It is 1763 and Pontiac’s Rebellion is simmering. The Ojibwe and Sac Indians hatch a scheme to seize the fort. An intense lacrosse
match is staged outside the fort, with some of the unsuspecting garrison coming down to watch. As the ball is tossed over the
palisade, Indian warriors surge into the fort through the open gate. They seize weapons and the battle is on! Man-to-man
skirmish in the French & Indian War era.

F-336 - First Blood: Europeans vs. Native Americans
Fri. 2:00 PM, 4 hrs, 8 players
DeSoto's expedition, the attack on Roanoke, Jamestown Massacre & Plymouth are staged alongside each other. These raids or attacks on farms are evidence of early contacts with Native Americans gone sour. Battles reflect upcoming expansions for
Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules.

F-337 - Ohio Frontier Aflame
Fri. 7:00 PM, 4 hrs, 8 players
War has come to the Ohio frontier, and the tribes are on the warpath. French and British schemes send European soldiers, frontiersmen, and Indians against each other’s settlements. A sprawling, but fast-moving game that will feature a number of
clashes occurring all along the Ohio valley. Man-to-man skirmish in the time of the French & Indian War featuring a palisaded fort,
Indian village & more!

S-338 - Ohio Frontier Aflame
Sat. 10:00 AM, 4 hrs, 8 players
War has come to the Ohio frontier, and the tribes are on the warpath. French and British schemes send European soldiers, frontiersmen, and Indians against each other’s settlements. A sprawling, but fast-moving game that will feature a number of
clashes occurring all along the Ohio valley. Man-to-man skirmish in the time of the French & Indian War featuring a palisaded fort,
Indian village & more!

S-339 - Will Magua Kill Gray Hair?
Sat. 2:00 PM, 4 hrs, 4 players
Fort William Henry has surrendered, and Marquis de Montcalm gallantly allows the British and colonials to march out bearing
arms. Magua's hatchet is not red yet, so his Huron’s ambush the column. He vows to kill Col. Munro — Gray Hair — the man
responsible for his enslavement and loss of his wife. Man-to-man skirmish inspired by The Last of the Mohicans.

S-340 - The Clifftop Rescue
Sat. 7:00 PM, 4 hrs, 4 players
Inspired by Last of the Mohicans, war rages along the clifftops. A war party of Huron Indians lead a group of captives
— including Cora and Alice Munro - to an uncertain fate among hostile people. Hawkeye and Chingachgook have rallied a force of survivors from the massacre at Fort William Henry to rescue the women and children. Mohawk warriors team up with English fron
tiersmen and battle Hurons.

Hope to have a lot of tense and fun battles for players to experience. We'll have our rules for sale on hand if you decide you like them, and the games will feature striking tabletop terrain combined with awesome 28mm miniatures from Conquest Miniatures. Would love to see lots of folks from the Lead Adventure Forum come out and meet us at the show...

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[Valerik]

Aw, Hell...

if this is half as much fun as I had simply kibitzing at Siege of Augusta, it'll be well worth it!!

I doubt this portends another road trip for me, alas.

A wee bit further away, to say the least, probably too far.

That being said I grew up in Lancaster, & was a Host employee for 4 years...
A gaming convention there has personal appeal, besides Mike's games' draw!

Damn shame the Lancaster County Wax Museum just across the road at Dutch Wonderland has closed.  They had a "Last Stand of the Susquehannocks" exhibit that was blood chilling even for a teenager on a school field trip.  I'll never forget it, though time has dimmed the details.  
Sadly I'm unable to find an image of that scene, now sold away.

Sadder still to realize that the Paxton Boys ethnic cleansing of Lancaster was 100% successful in completely eradicating the Conestoga as a people and culture on 27 December, 1763..

Best of luck Mike, wish I could be there to help, and PLAY!!

Some bits of caution for attendees:

1.  Sign up EARLY for your slot, they fill fast!!
2.  Show up early to admire the scenery & receive your briefing.
     Mike does a splendid job covering the basics & sorting out scenarios.
3.  Bring your OWN Dice.  Mike's are crap, ask anybody at SoA.
     3 D6 won't hurt to tote, & 3 more as back up recommended,
     if yours turn up nasty too!!
4.  This is fun, fast & furious.  Be devious, deadly & delighted,
     Song of Drums and Tomahawks is a clear a winner!
5.  Didja remember to BRING YOUR OWN DICE?  
     Mike's are crap, so grab 3 D6 of your own.

Enjoy!!


Valerik
"when an old man dies, a library burns to the ground"

EDIT: my miserable spelling

[Orange]

I look forward to hearing some reports, I really like the sound of some of those scenarios!

[doublenot7]

I will see you there!

[mikedemana]

Awesome! Be sure to introduce yourself....always good to meet LAF members!

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[doublenot7]

Do we need to bring miniatures or is all provided?

My 7 year old son will be attending also (his first convention), is he welcome at the table with me?  He even has his own painted Brit Regulars!

[mikedemana]

Do we need to bring miniatures or is all provided? My 7 year old son will be attending also (his first convention), is he welcome at the table with me?  He even has his own painted Brit Regulars!

All miniatures provided! Sorry it took me so long to reply...school feels like it is pulling me down into the briny depths with its tentacles! Your son is welcome. I think one of the 4-player games would be best so that you can play in the same game. Otherwise, if he plays in the Ohio Frontier Aflame game, he'll be matched against a stranger, most likely. Of course, he may be fine with that! Just wanted to let you know that he may feel more comfortable in one of the games like Treachery at Fort Michilimackinac, Will Magua Kill Gray Hair?, or The Clifftop Rescue.

And let me congratulate you on bringing in the youth to the hobby! We need more people like you in our ranks...

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[doublenot7]

He is just getting into the games now.  He will have to play with my help or vice versa most likely. 

The problem is that kids cut into your gaming funds! 

We'll see you at the convention!

[mikedemana]

We'll see you at the convention!

Looking forward to it! Putting finishing touches on the last stuff for the games...(like Magua, Hawkeye, the ladies, some Acheson Creations wigwams...)

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[mikedemana]

Magua and his party of Hurons leads the captives -- including Alice and Cora Munro -- along the cliffs after the massacre at Ft. William Henry

Wow! That is all I can really say of the way the games went, and the overwhelming reception of the players and other convention goers at Cold Wars 2015. Attendee after attendee came up to compliment us on how the table looked. The players were enthusiastic and loved the games they participated in. We won a PELA award from the convention staff. And we sold all but one of the more than 30 copies of the rules we brought with us to the show.


Ojibwe and Sac Indians rush into Fort Michilimackinac after gaining entry with the ruses of a fake lacrosse game

I will write up a more full report in the next couple days. I'm exhausted, though. I ran at 10 am and 7 pm both Friday and Saturday, while my partner ran 2 pm games on both days. We did a number of changes in the terrain and scenarios, so it was a lot of work. However, it was a very satisfying and fulfilling promotion of Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules. I just returned home this evening. After a few hours getting caught up on schoolwork, I put off bedtime to look at the photos I took. Some of them jumped out at me so much I thought I'd stay up just a bit later to post them here.


A returning Huron hunting party catches Rogers Rangers in mid-raid

Enjoy! And check back for a more full report...oh, say Tuesday...?

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com


The clifftops are the scene of a standoff between Stockbridge and Huron Indians

[Orange]

Great photos Mike, the terrain looks especially beautiful.

Glad to hear it went so well!

[Marine0846]

Great pics.
Happy to hear the games went well.
Way to go with selling out all your sets of rules.

[nervisfr]

Great table and terrain elements !

Keep going this way Mike !   

[mikedemana]

Players and spectators crowded around the 5'x12' table set up at Cold Wars, running six times on Friday & Saturday

A massive snowstorm plowed across the eastern part of the United States on the weekend of Cold Wars in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. More than one gamer looked at the weather ruefully, and turned around and went home or did not set out at all. Four members of First Command Wargames persevered, though, altering either their route or time of departure to miss the bulk of the snowfall. The convention was noticeably lighter in attendance on Friday, but steadily picked up as the weekend went on and the roads were cleared by snowplows.


A new feature at Cold Wars was four-player variants of games, including "Treachery at Micilimackinac"

I arrived Thursday evening. After checking in and unloading the figures and terrain into the room, my friends and I went off to grab a bite to eat. We returned and I began to set up my 5-foot by 12-foot board in the Ohio Frontier Aflame setup. This features four 3-foot square scenarios, side by side using my Song of Drums and Tomahawks rules. On one end is an Indian village for the “Interrupted Raid” scenario that pits Rogers Rangers against a returning Huron hunting party. Next is the “Clifftop Rescue,” where a Huron rescue party has cut off the Stockbridge Indians who have taken captives from the raided village on the first board. Third in line is “Hurry, to the Blockhouse!” This game has frontiersmen hoping to see a family in a wagon safely through to a blockhouse, with the woods alive with Indians on the warparth. The final scenario, “The Fatal Lacrosse Game,” is inspired by the Ojibwa seizure of Fort Michilimackinac through a ruse that allows them access to the fort.


Captain Garrett adds sage advice to Jason during the Friday morning running of "Treachery at Michilimackinac"

My partner and I were running six events over Friday and Saturday. It was a tiring schedule, but my friend Mike did the 2 pm slot, while I did the 10 am and 7 pm ones. This gave me some time to rest between games. The eight-player Ohio Frontier Aflame was actually scheduled to run twice, with my partner running a similar “First Blood” event that tested out the rules for the early period, featuring Conquistadors, Jamestown, and other scenarios. Also new this time were three four-player games on expanded 3-foot by 6-foot boards. This meant I had to reconfigure the terrain set up four times over the course of the weekend, but gave a nice variety in the size and look of events we staged. The four player scenarios were, “Treachery at Michilimackinac” (a four player version of the lacrosse game), “Will Magua Kill Gray Hair?”, and “The Clifftop Rescue.” The last two featured characters and adaptions from the Last of the Mohicans movie. I’d finished the 28mm Conquest Miniatures “Mohicans” pack earlier that week, so these games would feature the first time on the table for these figures.


The raid was going nicely for Rogers Rangers, until a mightily peeved Huron hunting party returned...

Our 10 am Friday offering was a sign of the reception we would receive at Cold Wars. The game was slotted for four players, but I ended up accommodating eight. The extra four were set up on two of the other boards, and everyone was happy. Ten-year-old Garrett was exceptionally enthusiastic, and caught on to the rules quicker than quite a few adults. He played the part of Capt. Etherington, taking an active hand in driving out the treacherous Ojibwa and Sac invaders in his fort. The players all seemed to have fun and I sold quite a few copies of the rules from the rack I had on display atop the table. The convention staff was equally enthusiastic and came by and gave my event an award for that slot — a trophy featuring a painted 54mm miniature mounted atop a wooden base. I displayed that next to the rack of rules throughout the convention. It never hurts to be able to claim your rules are “award winning”…!


As always, the cliffs are a cinematic part of the Ohio Frontier Aflame setup

My partner Mike ran his “First Blood” scenarios during the 2 pm slot. He filled six of his eight slots, one player urging one of my coauthors to join in him in a follow up game immediately after he finished his first. I took a break to have a leisurely lunch, visit the Dealer Area, and relax. I returned to set up the table again for the Ohio Frontier Aflame set up. That was run in both the 7 pm Friday and 10 am Saturday slots. I filled all eight slots on Friday night, and had six of eight for Saturday morning. Once again, all players seemed to enjoy the rules — even when plagued by bad die rolls. One player returned and played in three sessions, while others played in two. Sales of the rules were brisk enough that I decided not to make the rounds of the Dealer Area and try to sell copies of the rules there. In fact, we brought 30 copies of the rules to the convention and sold 29 of them! I had a feeling we’d do well in sales there, but never dreamed we’d essentially sell out of them purely through sales from the gaming table!


This ain't no Seven Years War with static firing lines, this is the French & Indian War, which means in your face action at close quarters!

Saturday afternoon and evening featured two four-player scenarios. Mike ran “Will Magua Kill Gray Hair?” while I ran the finale of “The Clifftop Rescue.” Both games had extra players show up and wanting to get in. I did not get to see much of the “Magua” game, but the rescue game featured an interesting twist. I’d left a side path down from the mid-section of the cliffs, thinking that the Uncas player might want to use it for a shortcut and head up and face Magua’s Hurons like in the movie. Instead, the Huron players used the side path to detour off the cliffs and make their way through the forest. This meant Magua had to fight a rearguard action against Hawkeye, Chingachgook, and three Mohawks. On the other hand, it forced the Joseph Brant/Uncas player to guard both the end of the clifftop section and the woods, thus splitting his forces. This clever gambit gave them an initial advantage, which was compounded by the Uncas player rolling terribly on his combat rolls. The Magua player was also having a miserable time with his dice, but survived the run of luck in time to see the momentum shift his way. Chingachgook was gunned down shortly after Uncas was, meaning there were NO Mohicans after this encounter. Hawkeye was left to pursue Magua on his own. As the Hurons slipped out of sight and off table, he shouted in desperation to the ladies, “You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you…!” Although the ending wasn’t Hollywood, it was cinematic. I’d made some extra low cliff sections for the game and this allowed me to expand the setup so that it was quite the eye catcher on the table.


The one common denominator in our six events seemed to be happy players!

I received lots of compliments on the look of the games — especially the fort, Indian village, and the cliffs. The setup takes up a lot of room in the car and is a lot to haul around, but it is all worthwhile when you see convention goers flocking to the table. Of course, the 28mm Conquest Miniatures do a lot to set off the terrain, too. I even had a player beg me to sell him one of the Indians (of course I didn’t…ha, ha!). All in all, it was a successful second venture by our new game company to a convention to promote our games. My friend Tom ran his Colonial/Victorian Science Fiction game, For Queen and Planet, four times during the show, as well. Although his game did not pull in the sheer number of players that my Song of Drums and Tomahawks games did, it provided us some ideas on how to better promote his game at ensuing shows. If you want to attract players to your table, you need more than just a fun system. You have to have eye candy! A visually scenic tabletop gets the players in the seats. Then it is up to your game’s enjoyment factor to sell the rules. I feel fortunate that my French & Indian War event seems to have both. Players have fun, and spectators love to come look at the setup.


The final game of the weekend was a four-player take on "The Clifftop Rescue" from the movie The Last of the Mohicans...here, Magua and his Huron fight a rearguard against the advance of Chingachgook, Hawkeye, and several Mohawks

Luckily, the weather had abated by the time we were ready to drive back home. Bright sunshine followed us all the way back to Ohio. The storm had not kept us from having a successful outing at Cold Wars. The sunshine — not the storm — had been the omen for a great weekend at Cold Wars, and for Song of Drums and Tomahawks.


Wily as ever, the Magua side detoured down the cliffs and prepared to make their way off the board with the captives through the woods

Seeya!
-- Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com


As Magua disappears through the woods with Alice, Cora, and the other captives, Hawkeye shouts out, “You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you…!”

[Marine0846]

Great write up on your games.
Photos look cool.
Glad the players had fun, win or lose.
One question, did you get to play in any games?